


Punches And Posies

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [48]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s08e13 It's Good to Be King, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-29 22:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17817077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: Jack dragged a hand through his hair and debated turning around and heading back to his office, but then he thought of the mountain of paperwork waiting for him and decided he wasn’t ready to face it just yet. Besides, he’d come to see Carter for a specific reason.





	Punches And Posies

**Author's Note:**

> Written For ‘Do A Grouch A Favor Day’ (16 February).

Jack hesitated, stopping just around the corner of the gym, and frowned. He could hear the sound of gloves relentlessly pounding against a punch bag.

This seemed such a good idea ten minutes ago, he told himself.

He dragged a hand through his hair and debated turning around and heading back to his office, but then he thought of the mountain of paperwork waiting for him and decided he wasn’t ready to face it just yet. Besides, he’d come to see Carter for a specific reason.

Not that he needed to justify his reasons for wanting to see Carter. _No._

He looked down at the item in his hand and smirked as he pushed open the door.

"Oh, Carter," he sing-songed, stepping inside the room.

He let the door swing shut behind him and waited for her reply, but when none came, he realized she hadn’t even registered his presence.

"Carter!"

She still failed to answer.

Jack pressed his lips together and glanced around the gym before his gaze rested on Sam. He watched as she continued to beat the life out of the leather-clad punch bag and he winced. He knew, without a doubt, that her hands would be feeling the effects of the abuse she was putting them through, and he sent up a silent prayer that whoever she was mad at, it wasn’t him.

He slowly made his way closer.

"Carter?"

When he was met with something between a whimper and a groan as Sam pounded the bag just a little harder, he sighed. He weighed up his options, and when he noticed her rhythm started to falter, he placed the object he’d been holding on the floor and put his plan into action. He moved to the opposite side of the bag and had just reached out to stop its movement when –

"Oomph!"

As the full force of the bag hit him square in the face and chest, Jack found himself sprawled on his back on the gym floor.

_"CARTER!"_

The next thing he knew, Sam was at his side, looking down at him with a mix of horror and shock.

"Oh, God, sir! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you. I was –" she stopped abruptly, when Jack half-heartedly waved off her apology.

"What the hell, Carter?" he growled as he lifted a hand to his nose, although there was no malice or anger in his question.

"I'm so sorry, sir, really. I –"

"Who pissed you off?" He winced as soon as the words left his mouth as he saw the fire return to Carter's eyes, just like it had back on Maybourne’s planet. "Never mind," he mumbled.

"Do you need a hand?"

"Nah, I'm good for a minute," he answered. "Here, take a load off," he added softly, patting the ground beside him.

He regarded Sam closely for a few moments as she followed his order, before he looked away.

"So."

"So?"

"Still mad at Maybourne, huh?"

Sam smiled softly and Jack tried not to focus on the light blush that appeared on her face.

"I'm sorry, sir. I know I should be more professional, but..."

"But?" He prodded gently when she didn’t say anything else.

"Wives, sir? _Wives?_ I mean, of all the backward, medieval, sexist... urgh! Wives!" She muttered through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, I don’t really get the whole 'wives' thing, either," he admitted, waving a hand around in the air.

"I mean – it's just – it’s _Maybourne_ , sir," Sam stated as if it explained everything.

"Hey. You don't need to tell me that."

They both fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence when the general reached up to touch his face again.

"Are you sure you’re okay, sir?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"I really am sorry."

"Relax, Carter. It's not like I'm going to chew you out for striking a superior officer or anything."

Her eyes widened in fear. "Oh, God. General –"

"I said _relax_ , Carter. I know that's an alien concept to you, but you should try it sometime," he responded dryly before he effortlessly jumped to his feet and gave Sam a hand to hers.

"Umm... sir?" Sam asked a moment later.

"Yeah?"

Her gaze darted to his feet. "Are those yours?"

He followed her gaze and pulled a face when he saw what had caught her attention. For there, lying on the floor, was the posy of wildflowers Maybourne had presented to each of them before they’d left his planet.

"Uh..."

He reached for them and held them uneasily in his hands, as if they were about to explode. When he finally met Carter's eye, he could see the slightest hint of hope in her expression while the pink blush on her cheeks had deepened considerably.

"You see, Carter. I, uh..."

"Yes, sir?"

"I thought you could do with cheering up."

She looked at him in surprise.

"And, well, I was checking the date on my calendar earlier –"

"Your calendar?"

"Yeah."

When Sam closed her eyes, Jack bit back a grin. There was only one calendar he owned.

"Sir, when you say, 'calendar' –"

"I mean my '365 Holidays You Never Knew Existed' calendar, yes."

She sighed. "Of course you do."

"Right. So, I noticed that today was February 16th."

"Yes, sir?"

"And, uh… here. These are for you."

He smiled sheepishly as he held the flowers out to her.

"They’re beautiful," she whispered.

"You know you’ve a bunch just like them in your lab?"

Sam smiled as her gaze shifted from the posy to his face. "I know, but it's the thought that counts, isn’t it? Thank you.”

"Anytime," he answered quietly. He watched Sam close her eyes as she inhaled the scent of the flowers and he really wanted nothing more in that moment than to kiss her.

But he couldn’t. He shook his head to try and clear those thoughts away and when Sam looked to him, he hooked a thumb over his shoulder towards the door. “Shall we?"

She nodded in agreement and they silently made their way across the gym when Sam hesitated.

"What was the holiday?"

"Hmm?"

"February 16th. What was the holiday?"

"Oh. Uh... that's not important," he said as she pushed a hand against the door to leave.

_"Sir?"_

Jack sighed. He’d never understand how Carter could be the only person to make that word have a multitude of meanings. He slowly turned to face her.

"Well, you have been a tad... _peevish_ ever since we got back from Maybourne’s planet."

_“What?”_

"And just remember that you've hit me once already today," he added quickly when he saw her expression change.

"What was the holiday?"

"Trrmmmph."

"I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t catch that."

He sighed heavily. "There's a note with the flowers."

"Oh."

He held his breath as Sam’s attention returned to the posy and she freed the small yellow Post-it note he’d jammed between the flowers.

Her eyes momentarily widened before her gaze snapped to his and he took a step back, but before he would let Sam say anything, he grinned.

"Happy holidays, Carter."

He turned on his heel and made a break for it down the corridor and towards the safety of his office, so he never saw Sam staring at the spot where he’d stood just moments earlier.

Nor did he see the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips as she re-read his note.

_Carter,_

_Happy 'Do A Grouch A Favor Day'!_

_Always,_

_J._

**Author's Note:**

> This could, possibly, be a random continuation of [‘Just The Way You Are’](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17455502) on 17th January, in the sense that it’s Jack and Sam both in the gym, sharing a moment. 
> 
> Maybe that could be a series all on its own...


End file.
